Chinese infrastructure investments throughout Europe have the potential to pose a strategic risk to the West, not just the countries where the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is spreading its economic and geopolitical influence, but also to Europe’s allies, including the U.S.
Chinese ownership and investment in ports highlights the impact and influence that Beijing has, and can exert, on the supply chains that dominate the global trading system.
Chinese investment in Europe’s infrastructure has the potential to undermine American alliances and NATO cohesion, provide Beijing with leverage in times of crisis (control of strategic assets), and pose myriad military, security, and counterintelligence concerns, including espionage and cyber sabotage.
The PRC uses the lure of investment and bilateral deals that circumvent Brussels, complicating efforts to craft a coherent European Union-China policy and undermining U.S.-EU coordination on countering authoritarian influence.
A Trojan Horse Approach? Chinese Infrastructure Investment in Europe – The Soufan Center
